they have already taken back the major cities in the north. for the people of timbuktu, the french are viewed as heroes. >> today, i can do my job as i want to. if i have a customer, i can touch his beard, to a modern hair cut, i can do as i like. the i am free, and i can also earn more. and i started listening to music again. >> tuesday's meeting marks a first step toward outlining a future course for mali, but delegates realize they face a huge challenge. >> mali has called on the international community to support its efforts. is there a sense everyone is on the same page and pulling together? we put that question to our brussels correspondent. >> there's a very big sense of unity here in brussels where delegates mets from around the world to discuss the malian situation, and the general message from all the various representatives was that a combination of military and political efforts is needed to restore stability in mali. on the military level, the goal is to get african soldiers to take over from the french troops. that has to be acco